Cherish
by Daisy-Chan
Summary: Roses are red,violets are blue.The things I kept thinking of in my head,they're all consist of you.
1. The Little Girl,The Child,The Daughter

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N:** Random idea dropped in while I was preparing lunch. I was thinking about 'It Was You' but I guess I'm no master in avoiding distractions that keeps popping in like ninjas. Ahaha. This one will be a short one consists of three chapters focusing on three different characters for each chapter. XD English is not my first language. Pardon the bad grammar and stuff... n.n;

* * *

**CHERISH**

I. The Little Girl, The Child, The Daughter

* * *

He had always been her hero. He had always been the one she looked up to; admire, adore, worship even. He had always been the one who supported her, both emotionally and financially. Never even once did the little girl heard him complained about her sudden appearance in his life, about her intrusion inside the house he had very much bought so that he could be living his life his own way, to be alone and to be away from other people – he's not really a people person; he hardly socialize with the neighbors, devoting almost all of his time with his job, with the animals in his care.

The little girl knew that she was a stranger in his house – one with not even a slightest connection or relation to him. Her pair of sparkling teal eyes are not as piercing as his violet ones. Her hair, even though the little girl was sure could match the smoothness of his silver ones, will never be the same as his as hers were the color of the night sky; dark – a contrast to his shining silver and wavy – too different from his straight locks. Her skin is a pale one, almost white, is one of another obvious difference between the two of them. The only similarity that they shared, probably, is the love they're feeling towards each others.

The silver-haired young man loved her and the little girl loved him back.

The silver-haired young man, if he were to come back home and saw that she was still awake, curling her little self on the sofa with only a thin blanket covering her small body will smile, always, at her and carefully picked her up from the sofa, carrying her in his arm while walking towards her bedroom, softly asking her why isn't she's sleeping yet.

"I was waiting for you, daddy," was the little girl's answer.

The smile on his face will turned into a small chuckle-the little girl always feels that making him do that was some kind of an almost-impossible feat to achieve, thus it made her very happy seeing that small laugh of his escaped his mouth-and he gently patted her on her head as he lay her down on her bed, the soft, pink mattress dipped a little at his weight as he joined her. Almost always, the silver-haired young man's next action will be kissing her forehead, asking the little girl if she wanted him to read her a bedtime story before he tuck her in – he said that it was a way for him to thank her for staying up waiting for him to come back. Never did the little girl pass the chance to hear his voice reading her stories about unicorns, princes and princesses of far away lands who in the end would always ended up living happily ever after. Once, she asked him if there's really such thing; 'happily ever after' existed in their world. The little girl noticed a light twitch on one of the silver-haired young man's eyebrow and even though he assured her that such ending did exist, the little girl doubted-for once-his words and made a mental note to never ask him such question again – she hated the split-second-hurt look he gave out before answering her question.

During the days the silver-haired young man was out working, the little girl spends her time reading those many books on the shelves of his small living room. The little girl loved reading and although she was given the freedom to watch television if she wanted to, she still prefer musing over hundreds of words written on countless papers of the books lining neatly on the shelves. She can't understand much of the words though – it's a given since she never went to school and no one was available to teach her the alphabets. The little girl didn't mind at all; she has plenty of times to spare and there was no need for her to rush herself over knowing all the words she read or memorizing their meanings in her still-developing brain.

The little girl went through the same schedule every single day; woke up at the absence of the silver-haired young man, ate the breakfast said young man prepared for her on the table in the kitchen-there's always a memo with words such as 'I'll be back late tonight', 'Love you. I'll see you later' and a lot more written on a piece of paper attached at the bottom of the plate of her food-, clean the house, read books, take a nap and a shower and waited for the silver-haired young man to come back home. It was a repetitive routine, one that could easily bored someone within a week after going over it again and again but it was not the case for the little girl – for her, there was nothing more tastier than his cooking, nothing more exciting than reading the books. The little girl was happy, contented with her life – never in her 10 years of living she'd experienced such blissful moments; living with the silver-haired young man, that is. There was nothing else in the world that she wanted except to be with him; her only dream and hope is for her to be able to always be together with the silver-haired young man.

_Always; they will be living together in this small yet comfortable house._

_Always; he will tell her more stories about unicorns, princes and princesses._

_Always; he will love her, watch over her, be there for her._

Two years later, they were still living together. The little girl grew up two years older, but she was still a little girl – innocent, naïve, never been close to anyone else besides the silver-haired young man. There were new things added to her schedule and said chores had never bothered her; she still enjoyed doing them as much as she did in the previous years she spent in the small house. The little girl started to understand more of the words printed on the books she read – the silver-haired young man purchased more after she told him that she had read almost all the books he have in the house.

One night, the silver-haired young man arrived home with a brown-colored envelope in his hand and he went straight to hug the little girl who was sitting on the sofa-the same one she'd been sitting on ever since she made 'waiting for daddy to come home from work' her habit-reading a book and happily told her that their life will later improve; he'd been promoted to do a better job than just to observe and making sure the animals are happy in the barn. He raved on buying her new clothes, books, shoes and everything else that the little girl had never even once own before. The little girl was elated at the news; the silver-haired young man deserve more since he's a wonderful person-she never gets it why people labelled him as a gruff and mean young man-, a hardworking employee and that he is her 'daddy'. They talked for a while about the new place the silver-haired young man will be working at starting next week and both laughed at the name of 'Sunshine Islands' – who, in Harvest King's name would named a bunch of islands that kind of cheesy name?

The life after the silver-haired young man got promoted was everything but the same. At the beginning nothing had changed – the silver-haired young man was still the same; he is still the little girl's 'daddy' who provided her even a more comfortable life with his now-much-better payment. She still sees that one rare look of his – that one expression with a smile, a chuckle and even a laugh full with love that's reserved only for her. Three seasons passed and all of him changed – the silver-haired young man he used to know was no more. Of course, he never neglected or ignored her; he still will always be there for her, watching over her, taking care of her.

It was that that look once reserved for her, the little girl concluded, was no longer hers alone. This, the little girl thought, was not acceptable. Who dares to take her daddy away from her? This person, this young woman-the little girl is sure that the thief is a woman-, although she had yet to meet her, already planting seeds of hatred in the little girl's heart; she decided that whoever that young woman is, she will never allow herself to like her. The little girl determined to make everything to the way it was before, to when the silver-haired young man was hers and hers alone. The little girl vowed that she will destroy the young woman; never again the little girl will only watch and let someone snatch her happiness away from her.

* * *

**A/N: **There's no name mentioned here but I guess you already know who that 'silver-haired young man' is. Lol. XD


	2. The Young Woman,The Lover,The Wife

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N:** Gah. I want to slit my throat to get rid of this sore throat. OTL A-anyway, thank you for the feedback! Here's another chapter. English is not my first language. Pardon the bad grammar and stuff... n.n;

* * *

**CHERISH**

II. The Young Woman, The Lover, The Wife

* * *

The night sky, without a single star to decorate it was dark, black as the devil's soul. Rain was pouring down, smashing violently at the window panels as the wind blow fiercer that it did yesterday. The lights were out – it was a natural thing to happen in this kind of weather and a single almost-burnt-out candle placed on top of a small table next to the vanity, next to the bed is the only source of light in the darkened somewhat-large bedroom.

The brunette young woman thought to herself; how did this happen? How can she didn't see this turnabout of events before? How can she be so foolish in believing that everything was alright between her and 'her'? How can her husband be away during these kinds of times, where she needed him by her side the most? How can his boss be so mean to her, sending her husband to a faraway place for two weeks? How–? What–? Why–?

The brunette young woman recalled the past two years of her marriage life – it was perfect. It was just like a Renoir; a fine piece where the mixture of vibrant and saturated colours blended in together perfectly, making it a piece suitable to decorate the wall of a King's chamber, making people who stare at it sighed in envy, at how wonderful said painting is and how much they wanted to lay their hands on said work of art. She remembered the moments the three of them spent together; her, the silver-haired young man and the little girl. They were moments she can never deny to be the best ones she had in her 25 years of living. She was happy. The silver-haired young man was happy. The little girl was happy. Isn't that the true essence of happiness; to be surrounded by people you love and living together happily with them?

_Then pray tell the reasons of why this happened?_

Tonight was just a night just like the previous ones she's been through, except that the past two weeks the silver-haired young man was nowhere to be seen in the house – he was out working in a quite far place called Flowerbud Village for three consecutive weeks; the order was issued by his boss. Both females of the house miss him, of course, but seeing that she is the one responsible to take care of the family during the silver-haired young man's absence, the brunette young woman told herself to be strong, to put on that smile of hers that charmed everyone in the islands even though her heart ache so much and that she longed for the presence of the silver-haired young man in the house, by her side.

The brunette young woman remembered the first encounter between her and the silver-haired young man; it was not a pleasant introduction of each self. He strikes her as an ass, a grouchy person and one that she absolutely wouldn't mind ignoring for the rest of her life living in the islands. _Fate is a bitch though,_ the brunette young woman thought to herself. Who would've predicted that she'll ended up with him, exchanging vows of 'till death do us part' with said silver-haired young man?

The courtship with the silver-haired young man was never easy – the brunette young woman thinks it was natural given the personality of the silver-haired young man. She swore she had thoughts of him hating her during their random here-and-there encounters throughout the islands. But nevertheless, they soon opened up to each other, admitting their feelings towards each other.

The brunette young woman was surprised when the silver-haired young man admitted that he has a daughter. Given the fact that the silver-haired young man told her he had never been married, much less sleeping with other woman-she chuckled at said young man's blushing face when he told her he is against pre-marital sex; he must've been very embarrassed to share that little detail about him with her-, the brunette young woman found it hard to believe until the silver-haired young man explained to her the origin of the little girl. The brunette young woman had shed tears when she learned the facts – a poor soul; the little girl. Having been a kindergarten teacher before, the brunette young woman loves children and she didn't mind her existence in the family; the brunette young woman welcomed the little girl with open arms. The silver-haired young man's daughter, the little girl is a sweet little thing; obedient, cheerful, a happy-go-lucky type of person – it didn't take long for the brunette young woman to form a strong bond with the little girl.

_Or so I thought we're getting along just fine these 2 years._

The sudden sound of thunder roared in the raging weather outside snapped the brunette young woman back to reality; she found herself once again staring at the ceiling above her. She was about to move her dominant hand to brush away the strands of hair covering her forehead but stopped when she realized that trying to move around is useless; both her hands and legs are tied up with a piece of cloth – her freedom to move was seized for she was bind onto her own bed.

_Perhaps if I just ignore the sounds before, I wouldn't end up in this kind of situation._

Minutes ago, when the brunette young woman was just about to go to sleep, she heard some noises outside of her-and the silver-haired young man-bedroom. Curious, the brunette young woman rose from her chair in front of the vanity and moved towards the door, taking caution not to bump into things along her way. The wooden door creaked open and she peeked outside, her eyes taking in the dimly-lighted corridor as she listened to the noises before.

"Hello?" she called out but was greeted by nothing except the sound of the rain pounding hard on the roof of the house.

The brunette young woman's eyebrows narrowed. She was sure that she heard some strange noises before – this is not the first time she heard them-such noises had been heard only during the absence of the silver-haired young man, thus she joked that the silver-haired young man's unusual silver hair is a repel to said strange noises-and she'd been wondering what exactly caused the strange noises she's been hearing. The brunette young woman threw a glance towards the other bedroom in the house – it was shut closed; the occupant, the little girl must've been fast asleep and failed to notice the strange noises, as always.

The brunette young woman heaved a sigh and deciding that there was nothing extraordinary outside her bedroom and that she failed to pinpoint the source of the strange noises, she turned around, ready to leave and go back to her bedroom only to hear the same strange noises again – this time the sound came from the first floor of the house. Curious, the brunette young woman turned around and moved towards the stairs, standing exactly next to the steps.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" she called out again as she squints her eyes, trying to find something out of the ordinary in the dark surrounding below the stairs.

Breathing a deep sigh once more, the brunette young woman shrugged – she finally decided that all the strange noises were just her hallucination caused by the pouring rain and roaring thunder outside and spun her heels around, only to be greeted by the figure of the little girl looking straight at her.

The brunette young woman placed a hand on her chest, a relief sigh followed after her scream earlier. "Goodness. You surprised me. Don't scare me like that."

The little girl blinked at her. The brunette young woman smiled and still standing, she reached out a hand, patting her head. "What's wrong? You can't sleep?" she asked the younger female.

The little girl blinked her eyes at the older female again. "Hey," she said.

"Yes?"

"Are you scared?"

The brunette young woman gave the younger a puzzled look. "What?"

"You should be," the younger said again as she smiled at her.

"What are you—"

The rest of the older female's words were replaced with a scream as the little girl extended both hands, pushing the older in front of her down towards the first floor of the house.

_Curiosity indeed killed the cat. Except that this time Death spared me my life._

The brunette young woman shook her head slightly to brush away the pain she felt behind her head; she must've fall head-first and wondered why on earth she's still alive.

"You're wondering why you are still alive, don't you?" a familiar voice answered her.

The brunette young woman turned her head to the little girl standing on the doorway of her room, smiling at her. Her eyes caught the younger's teal orbs and she narrowed her eyebrows at her.

"Oh, I know that look!" the little girl clasped her hands together, nodding at the tied-up older woman. "You're thinking 'how do you know what I'm thinking?' right? Oh, silly you. Of course I know what you're thinking – what do you think I've been focusing at these past two years? I can easily read your expression now," she added as she moved closer to her, chuckling along the way. "You don't really think I like you, do you?"

The brunette eyes widen in shock at the sudden revelation. She wanted to protest, to say something back to the younger female but all that came out from her gagged mouth were muffled sounds. She shook her head violently, thinking that her stuffed mouth will be free if she does so.

The little girl continued chuckling and she reached out a hand, caressing the brunette young woman's left cheek. "It's useless," she told her. "You were a pain in the ass to carry here. Good thing you being unconscious made it easier for me to set this all up," she added and pointed to both her hands and legs that are tied up.

_Why are you doing this?_

"Hm?" the little girl paused from her track; standing directly on the lower side of the bed, exactly between the older female's spread legs and looked up at the lying figure's face. "You're wondering over the reasons of why I'm doing this?" she asked, lifting a hand and placed it on her chin. "I've told you before, didn't I? I don't like you. "

_What have I ever done to receive this kind of treatment?_

The little girl's amused expression changed; she was enraged at the brunette young woman's 'question'. "Don't play dumb! You know what you did!" she exclaimed, bending down to the level where the older female can't see her, picking something up from the floor.

The brunette young woman's eyes widened more and she struggled hard to break free from the clothes that tied her as the little girl appeared, holding something in her left hand – said item gleamed in the dark as the light from the candle shone upon it.

Sensing the fear coming from the older female, the little girl laughed. "What? You're scared of this?" she asked, waving the item left and right as she climbed up onto the bed. "You use this every day. Why would you be afraid of this? This is just an ordinary item found in every kitchen in these islands, no?" she added as she positioned herself right below the stomach of the older female.

_Stop what you're planning to do!_

The little girl sighed. "What am I planning to do?" she looked at her with a look of disgust. "I plan nothing."

_Please!_

"Tch. You really are noisy," the little girl raked her hair in frustration with a free hand. "I seriously don't plan anything. I don't plan on stabbing you or cut you open with this knife. Don't worry."

The brunette young woman shoulders slumped and she relaxed a little at the words of the little girl. She blinked her eyes and from her blurry vision she can see the little girl smiled at her. She tried to smile back at the younger female but it's a futile attempt as the piece of cloth inside her mouth restrained her to move even an inch of her lips.

_Thank you. Thank you. Thank you._

Ignoring the thankful look on the face of the brunette young woman, the little girl continued to toy with the item in her hand, a playful smirk plastered on her face. "I plan on using this though," she announced as she pulled out a pair of scissors from her pajama's pocket with her free hand.

_No._

"Do you know about frog dissection? I read it once in one of daddy's book back at our house."

_No. No. No._

"It's really interesting, you know – dissecting a frog to observe the external and internal structures of frog anatomy," the little girl continued and looked straight at the crying older female. "Daddy said that there soon will be another princess in the house. I've always trust daddy. You, on the other hand is the opposite though. Mother cheated on daddy before and she's the same as you; saying that she loves daddy and will never ever leave him…"

_Oh, Harvest Goddess._

"She's lying; mother is a liar," the little girl's right eye twitched. "And to make sure that daddy won't have to go through the same pain again, I should check if there really is a princess here," she said, patting the brunette young woman's abdomen with the red scissors.

The brunette young woman started thrashing about, moving her legs and hands violently, screaming-but still she sounds pitiful with a gagged mouth- in the process. She was sure that her wrists started to bleed for they hurt much more than before but she ignored the pain and struggled harder than before. The little girl on top of her rocked a little at her aggressive resistance. The little girl grunted and raising the knife in hand, she stabbed the left thigh of the brunette young woman. The older female screamed and winced in pain as blood gushed out from the wound. Her thrashing halted immediately and the little girl smiled triumphantly.

"Good girl," she nodded approvingly and readied her scissors while her eyes focused on the older female's stomach. "First, remove the clothes," she muttered to herself and tore off the silky, orange-colored pajama the brunette young woman is wearing. "Then –"

* * *

**A/N: **Just…uh, pretend that the brunette young woman's baby is safe from the fall. She's just a couple of weeks pregnant. (n.n); I've said that there'll be bloody scenes but I ended up not describing the scene too much. I'm sorry about that. OTL One more chapter left.


	3. The Young Man,The Father,The Husband

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N: **Here's the last part. This chapter is long. Be warned. X"D

* * *

**CHERISH**

III. The Young Man, The Father, The Husband

* * *

The little girl's mother was-although she will always be one in his mind-a whore; she slept with another man even though her lips had spoken out the words 'I love you' to someone else. She was the same woman whom the silver-haired young man had been thinking to marry after two years of knowing her, dating her, being in a serious relationship with her.

Coming from a family background such as his, the silver-haired young man was one who have a hard time to believe stories dipped in the sweetness sauces of love and care – his childhood was painted by hard strokes of curses for his unwanted birth, splotches of swears aimed at him whenever something in the house went wrong-usually it won't be his fault-and red color all over his canvas of life as a little child; said color was the color that decorated his beaten body and bruised skin, courtesy to the beating he'd taken from a female figure who's supposed to spare him the rod and instead shower him with love and affection – she never did the latter. The silver-haired young man loathed his so-called family and he determined to run away; flee to a faraway place where he will never see the face of the woman whom he hated so much. As soon as he reached 15 years old, he severed his ties with said woman and taking away the woman's money-which most of it was actually earned through his own hard work-, he made his escape the same night, never once doubting the choice he's making or looking back at the house that he detests so much. The silver-haired young man swore that he will never, ever return back – he kept the promise until now.

It was never easy for a 15 years old to live alone all of a sudden without any proper preparation. The silver-haired young man rented a small room of a cheap apartment – it was an apartment with a disgusting condition and with its thin wall, the silver-haired young man can easily hear the things the overly-makeup prostitutes that live there did with their clients inside their room. Said sounds were never bothered him; he was used to it back at the cursed house. The silver-haired young man took whatever jobs that were available to him – waiter, gas station attendant and even at one point, a person-in-between of a drug seller and drug addicts. He never took drugs though; he hated that damn thing because it reminded him of that old hag who used to beat him in, again, the cursed house. The silver-haired young man worked hard for he wanted to get out of the apartment and to a better place where there will be no one around to bother him, to care for him, to talk to him – they were things he didn't care about-for he is used to loneliness and to fend for himself since a young age-and he didn't mind the fact that no one else in the apartment actually care for him, a runaway-from-home teenager, less talking to him.

Except her.

The raven-haired woman with sparkling teal eyes who lived next three doors to him.

Their meeting was a pure coincidence; he was standing in front of his room with his hand rummaging through the content of his pocket, trying to find the key to get inside. The raven-haired woman was walking with some paper bags full with groceries in both hands – the silver-haired young man failed to notice her presence in the silent corridor. Cursing his luck and deciding that he should meet the landlord for a spare key, the silver-haired young man turned his heels around only to bump into the raven-haired woman. The apples, flour and other content of the paper bags in her hands dropped to the ground and it's a miracle that the silver-haired young man didn't snapped at the person he bumped into for being stupid and all. The raven-haired woman apologized at her clumsiness and she bent down, picking up the items on the floor and tossed them all back into the brown-colored paper bags. The silver-haired young man raised an eyebrow at the crouching woman – wasn't he the one who supposed to apologize? Heaving a sigh and cursing silently, the silver-haired young man bend down, helping the raven-haired woman with task. She had given him a surprised look but afterwards smiled at him and thanked him for helping her.

It was after that fateful day that the two become close. At first the silver-haired young man refused to open his heart to her, much less talking and befriending her but thanks to the raven-haired woman's persistence-perhaps it was influenced by her being 4 years older than him-, they soon exchanged stories about themselves, telling each other the reasons why both of them ended up in a place dominated by prostitutes, gangsters and drug addicts. The raven-haired woman told him that she was a college student and a poor one at that – she have to save her money for the expensive fee and by living here she can save a lot since the rent is cheap and the place itself is actually close to her college. When he asked her about her parents, the raven-haired woman become quiet and after a few minutes of hesitation, she told him that she ran away from home because she refused to be her parents' doll, to agree to spend her life with a man she never get to know thanks to the arrangement of her parents.

Their friendship soon bloomed into something the silver-haired young man would never imagine he will experienced; the feeling of loving someone other than himself. He was happy that the raven-haired woman reciprocated his feelings and being in a relationship he himself was content with, the silver-haired young man forgot the pain he had gone through during the previous years of living courtesy of a creature called 'woman'. The moments he spent floating on said cloud nine was only a temporary ride though - it was cut short when the door of truth opened; he learned that the raven-haired woman was only playing with him, toying with the sincere emotions of his he held for her. He caught her with another man during one of his many visits to her place in the apartment. The raven-haired woman defended herself by claiming that she needed money to pay her college fee and since there was no other way for her to find a large sum of money in such a short time, the only option she had is to do what most of the women in the apartment do; providing a service the silver-haired young man hated to mention to anyone who's willing to pay them.

It was all about the money. The silver-haired young man loathed the fact that every woman in his life is obsessed with money. They never even once take into consideration his feelings for them. Having his heart broken for the second time by 'woman', the silver-haired young man vowed that he will never let his feelings stray from its path again - he will only think for himself, making decision for his own benefits and living his life the way he wanted his life to be. He will never let himself fall into the sweetness trap of 'love' and will never be tempted to reach even one finger to taste and then be addicted to its poison again. He will work his hardest until he feel like puking and save the damn money those women are so obsessed with for him to keep and use. He will slap those women on their face the fact of how successful his life is, even without them beside him. His world will revolve only around him – he built a wall, invisible to others' eyes, which separate him from them, isolating himself in his own cage, in his own world.

The silver-haired young man had never heard anything from the raven-haired woman after he moved out exactly the next day after he found out about her treachery. He devoted himself solely to his job and never spare even a little bit of time and thoughts thinking about her. He was sure that she felt the same after their talk about her the day before he moved out from the damn apartment. That is why the presence of the little girl, accompanied by a blonde-haired woman dressed in a formal suit standing in front of his door 10 years later surprised him.

The little girl kept her gaze on the floor, fidgeting once in a while at the mention of her mother's name when the blonde-haired woman explained the situation to the silver-haired young man. The silver-haired young man's face remained expressionless when the woman in front of him told him that the raven-haired woman he despised was murdered by her husband after a heated argument between them. Apparently, said man is the same man whom the silver-haired young man caught with the raven-haired woman 10 years ago. The silver-haired young man laughed at the news, saying something about karma which made the little girl lifted up her face to him, staring straight at him with the same sparkling teal eyes the silver-haired young man used to love 10 years ago. He lashed out to the blonde-haired woman and asked why the hell she brought the raven-haired woman's child to him; he got nothing to do with this shit. The silver-haired young man remembered how the little girl cowered and hides behind the legs of the blonde-haired woman when he glared at him and immediately feels sorry doing so after the blonde-haired woman explained further about the incident; the little girl had been there throughout the ordeal her mother went through when her husband stabbed her, sliced her throat and repeatedly smashed her face onto the wall of their bedroom; blood and bits of flesh decorated the once lilac-colored wall – the little girl had been hiding in the closet inside said room, clutching tightly the doll she had as she fought hard suppressing her tears, afraid that her father will notice her and did the same thing he did to her mother to her. The incident traumatized her, resulting the little girl being too timid compared to girls of her age. The little girl refused to talk to people and even if a word did left her mouth, one had to coax said word out from her.

The silver-haired young man stared at the little girl who kept her gaze on the floor once again; her little hand gripped tightly the pink skirt the blonde-haired woman is wearing. He contemplated with himself for a couple of seconds before bending down to the little girl and patted her head, telling him he's sorry for lashing out earlier and ask her if she wanted to stay with him. The silver-haired man knows that the little girl is innocent; she played no part in the raven-haired woman's betrayal 10 years ago and she didn't deserved to be treated like a piece of unwanted old rag after going through such harsh years of living. The story about the little girl's life for the past 10 years told to him by the blonde-haired woman reminded the silver-haired young man about his own life; they were the same. He knows exactly how the little girl feels and determined to not let her ended up like her slutty mother; she deserved a far better life than the raven-haired woman and he was going to make sure that she will, definitely, lead such life with him. The little girl stared at the silver-haired young man's extended hand and blinked at said hand. She switched her gaze from the hand and the silver-haired young man's face for a while before reaching out and placed her hand on top of his, earning her a smile from said man. It was the first smile the silver-haired young man let out to someone not the animals in his care in 10 years and the little girl's face lit up immediately with happiness; the word 'daddy' escaped her small mouth before she launched herself to the silver-haired young man's waiting embrace.

The silver-haired young man smiled at the thoughts of his first meeting with the little girl. He glanced at the brown teddy bear near his suitcase next to the bed he bought for her. He was sure that the little girl will be ecstatic seeing yet another doll to add to her collection; the little girl loves dolls, especially teddy bears. The silver-haired young man kept his eyes on said doll, eyeing intently the color of the teddy bear's fur. It reminded him of a certain brunette young woman; one who managed to make him broke the vow he made to himself, one that was not intimidated by his piercing glares and one whom which he is very glad and thankful to meet.

He remembered the first time they meet. He remembered the times the brunette young woman and him argued about petty little things. He remembered the time his face heated when his eyes met the butt of the brunette young woman as said woman crouched down onto the dirty ground, helping him finding the toolbox he'd lost. The silver-haired young man shook his head at the impure thoughts-he's a man after all-and chuckled at how Fate played her cards – he never thought that he'll ended up sharing the rest of his life with the brunette young woman.

Still bitter by the previous experiences he had in his life, the silver-haired young man never care to spend his time socializing with other people. He did converse with his fellow workers in the company but never did he join them in any party or outing they organized; being busy was always the excuse he gave them. He pays zero attention to others-minus his daughter-and will talk to them only when the situation calls for it. It was amazing how the brunette young woman managed to disrupt the pace of his life. She broke the wall he'd built as a divider between him and other human beings, waltzing into his life like it is a natural thing to do, changing his personality to someone that he never thought he will become. The silver-haired young man snapped at her and told her to mind her own business but his threats seemed to fall on deaf ears; the brunette young woman advanced forward, taking every opportunity she can find talking with him, gifting him various items including porridge that he loves and never once the carrots he hates.

To see her cry is something the silver-haired young man considered to be rare. Very, very rare. The brunette young woman is an optimistic person-too optimistic in his opinion-and each time something bad befalls her, she can always find something to say and that something she had said always give people the feelings that everything will turn out okay for her. The silver-haired young man viewed the brunette young woman as a strong person and he bet she will never shed tears as long as she lives.

He was lucky that he didn't bet said bet with other people.

It was just like any other day he's been through – taking a break in the jungle, away from other people and spending his time with the wild animals he somehow managed to befriend always is his favorite thing to do after finishing his job at the animal shop. The jungle is one place the people on the islands rarely visit. The silver-haired young man was surprised when he saw the brunette young woman walking aimlessly with her head down on the path near where he was sitting on the ground, feeding the wild wolves food he bought from the islands' cafe He noticed that her figure was trembling a bit and that he was sure he heard tiny sobs from her. The silver-haired young hesitated for some seconds before he faked out a loud cough which he was sure will get the brunette young woman to notice him.

Indeed she did.

She turned around to the silver-haired young man's direction and widened her eyes at the presence she failed to notice earlier. He saw her quickly wiping something off from her face before walking towards him. The brunette young woman asked him what he was doing and the silver-haired young man pointed to the wolves next to him, casually telling her that he was feeding and playing with them. He asked her if she wanted to pet them and was surprised when she said yes – the thoughts of there are people on the islands having no fear to the wild wolves never crossed his mind; he had always thought that everyone is afraid of said animals. The hours they've spent playing with the wolves pass by in a blink of an eye. As the brunette young woman waved her hand to the retreating figures of the wolves, the silver-haired young man stole a quick glance at her and was satisfied to see that she was enjoying herself from the session they did earlier and that there were no longer inklings of tears formed around the frame of her eyes. He never asked the reason of why she was crying earlier though.

From that day onward they become closer to each other and the silver-haired young man eventually confessed his feelings to the brunette young woman. What kind of spell she'd cast on him to make he did so, he knows not himself but whatever it is that made him gave himself a second chance to open himself to another person, to let himself love someone once more, he was grateful to it. The life he shares with the brunette young woman, with the little girl as well is something that he will never find a word to describe – 'being happy' is belittling the contentment and joy he is feeling. There will be nothing in the world he would trade for the life he's having right now – not even money, the thing he's been working his ass to save to fulfill the previous vow he made to himself.

A knock on his door startled the silver-haired young man and he moved his focus from the raging sea outside the window to the door of his room. The voice of the ship's captain, one whom the silver-haired young man is very much familiar with was heard from behind the door; they are nearing Sunshine Islands and the silver-haired young man replied back in affirmation, thanking him for notifying him about their arrival. The captain leaved and the silver-haired young man moved his focus back to the darkness outside of his window, smiling as he thinks about the shocked look he's going to receive from both female whom he holds dear. He didn't tell either the brunette young woman or the little girl about him coming home earlier from his job; he wanted to surprise them.

The silver-haired young man stood in front of the door of his house. He looked up at the sky above him – it was still thundering although the rain had toned down a little. It was a good thing that he was used to such weather and to ride on ships during stormy days or he won't be able to arrive tonight and all his plan of surprising his wife and daughter will be in vain. He tightened his grip on the teddy bear in his other hand and biting the small torch-an item he never leave behind when he was travelling-he held earlier, the silver-haired young man's now-free other hand rummaged through the content of his pocket, taking out a set of keys after some seconds. He was used to the islands being engulfed in darkness, especially during weather such as this so the dark living room that greeted him as soon as he stepped into the house didn't bothered him a bit. Judging from the time shown on his watch he glanced earlier, he concluded that both female are sleeping right now so the silver-haired young man, after placing his suitcase on the coffee table in the living room and switching off his torch, slowly climbed the stairs onto the bedroom area of the house with only the dim light on the upstairs' corridor as his guide. He reached the second floor of the house and the smirk on his face was wiped out by a look of curiosity as he noticed the door to his-and the brunette young woman-bedroom is wide open.

Cocking an eyebrow, the silver-haired young man walked towards said room. He was about to enter the room when his nose caught an unpleasant smell. It was a smell he was very much familiar with back then when he was 15 years old and living in the rundown apartment – it was the smell of blood, an odour that stuck like the prostitutes' perfume on the body of the gangsters living there. The silver-haired young man felt his previous meal churning in his throat and quickly brought a hand to cover his mouth while the other one, with the teddy bear sandwiched under his armpit fishing out the small torch he tossed inside of his pocket earlier. He switched on the small torch and the view in front of him made him forgot the plans he had in mind to surprised his wife and daughter.

In front of him lay the brunette young woman; mouth gagged, legs and hands are bind to the four post of the bed. She was bathed in red from chest to stomach and on the supposed-to-be-blue mattress she was lying on. He saw no injury on her arms nor her legs but her stomach…

The teddy bear the silver-haired young man was carrying fall onto the floor as he turned around from the brunette young woman, vomiting next to the oak dresser he shares with her near the door, emptying his stomach from the stew he had earlier before departing from the Mainland. He wiped away the traces of the white liquid around his mouth and turned around to face the brunette young woman again.

Her stomach was cut open and the silver-haired young man can clearly see the viscera popping out from her abdomen. Her intestine, removed and curling up like a sleeping snake next to the opened stomach, lay next to a pair of bloody red scissors.

The silver-haired young man free hand balled into a fist – amidst the horror seeing his wife like that, he was furious at whoever it was that was responsible for this. He cursed loudly and without him noticing, tears formed in his eyes, beads of that clear, salty water ran down to his cheeks as he blinked his eyes. A pang of sadness hits him and his chest ached he dropped down onto the floor, clutching the black fabric of his pants, silently repeating his curses previously.

He lifted his face from the floor after a minute and with his torch navigated the dark room. He paused when the light hit a word painted in red-the silver-haired young man was sure it was painted using the blood of the brunette young woman-on the wall across the bed, exactly below the bed where his dear wife lay.

'LIAR'

The silver-haired young man's eyebrows narrowed at said word. He can think of nothing that can relate to the red-painted word. Did someone in the islands begrudge the brunette young woman? Did someone hates him for marrying her? Did the gangsters living in his previous apartment found him and wanted to kill him for revenge?

That can't be true. First, the brunette young woman was loved by all in the islands and he doubted that their affection towards her was faked. Second, other bachelors in the islands are married to their respective woman. Other than that blonde-haired man whom the silver-haired young man considered as a worthy rival in competing to win the brunette young woman's heart-a competition he had won-, he knows none of the man on the islands harbored romantic feelings towards her. Third, he did nothing back there; he took care of only himself and ignored everything else that doesn't interest him.

The silver-haired young man was busy musing over the reason of why his wife was treated that way and almost missed the weak sound came from the gagged mouth of the brunette young woman. He gasped and sprinted to her side, calling her name and smiling widely to see that she was still alive. The silver-haired young man assured her that he will take her to the doctor as soon as he finished untying the knot of the clothes that took her prisoner.

"Why are you releasing that obnoxious woman?"

The little girl's sudden voice shocked him and the silver-haired young man paused from the task in hand. He turned to the small female's figure standing on the entrance of the room with her head bowed and facing the floor. His smile widened and he was about to call her name when he noticed that something was off with her. Perhaps it was only illusion playing trick on him because there was not enough light to confirm the thing he was seeing – the dimly lighted corridor provided no help for him to properly identify the red stains on the little girl's pink pajama.

"That woman is lying to you. There was no princess inside her stomach."

The little girl stepped into the room – her head, still facing the floor swayed left and right each step she took. Her movement halted as she was standing next to the teddy bear the silver-haired young man dropped earlier.

"See? She was just like mother. Liars. Sluts. Bitches. Goddamn fucking liars!"

The silver-haired young man was taken aback by the words uttered by the little girl – she had never said those words before; they were the words the blonde-haired woman told him-an information passed to her by the nearby neighbors the raven-haired woman's husband used to hurled towards her and the little girl when the little girl was living with them. The silver-haired young man felt a tug on his sleeve and he looked down to the brunette young woman. She was choking the words she tried to tell him, making him hearing nothing but gasps from her.

"We should just stay at our house in the city. There was nothing wrong there, right? We have always been happy, the two of us."

The silver-haired young man continued trying to decipher whatever things the brunette young woman was telling him while at the same time was still confused at the sudden change of the little girl's behavior.

"You can cook me breakfast like you used to do."

_Run._

"I can do the house chores while you're working."

_Get away from here._

"I can wait for you to come back from work like I always did."

_She has gone mad._

The silver-haired young man felt as if his heart stopped beating upon hearing the things the brunette young woman told him. Sweats formed his forehead and his heart thumped in a pace it never did before – it was beating like there was no tomorrow, like this is the last day he will live.

"Oh, I forgot."

The silver-haired young man turned to the direction of the door which slowly beginning to close itself only to be greeted by the face of the little girl staring directly at him. The little girl's face was only inches away from the silver-haired young man's – the distorted expression she had on her face when she smiled at him was the last thing the silver-haired young man saw before the door fully closed and darkness was left to rule the bedroom.

"I was waiting for you, daddy."

* * *

**.THE END.**

* * *

**A/N: **And done. XD Since this is the end, I'll reveal the characters, though I'm sure you already know it. XD XD The silver-haired young man is Vaughn, the brunette young woman is Chelsea and the little girl, whose name will forever be a mystery is Vaughn's ex-girlfriend's daughter. XD Thank you for sticking around with me in 'Cherish'. I hope you have fun reading it, even if it's only a little. X"D


End file.
